The medallists at The Hague certainly enjoyed the indoor venue at the Dela Beach Open

Lausanne, Switzerland, January 9, 2018 – The Dela Beach Open 4-Star tournament in The Hague signalled that the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour will be as entertaining and competitive as ever in 2018.

In February Shepparton in Australia will host a 1-Star tournament and Kish Island will host a men-only 3-Star event. The World Tour will then ramp up the action in March, first at the Fort Lauderdale 5-Star, and then at the Doha 4-Star.

The Tour will continue through a further three 5-Star tournaments and nine more 4-Star events until the season reaches its climax at the FIVB World Tour Finals that will take place in Hamburg in August.

In The Hague two teams marked their first tournaments on the World Tour by winning gold. USA’s Alexandra Klineman and April Ross went through the country quota and qualification rounds before winning another six matches to top the podium.

Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Edgars Tocs meanwhile belied their status as the lowest-ranked side in the main draw to reach the final, and beat Poland’s Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak in the gold medal match.

At the heart of the tournament was the venue. The indoor arena at the Sportcampus Zuiderpark was the first to host an entire World Tour tournament indoors, on two permanent courts and one purpose-built court in the main hall, and it proved hugely popular with the players.

“It was perfect,” Tocs said after winning gold. “The facility was very nice and it is a great stadium and we look forward to coming back next year.”

Taking the action inside and away from the rigours of a Dutch winter meant that the World Tour season could start earlier than normal, and the players responded with some outstanding play.

“It is an early start, but I think it is a good idea to host some tournament indoor like here,” Losiak said. “All the teams are preparing for this season and we are very happy to have started the new year in good form.”